Super reliable city commuter

[alcatraz]

Hey fellow riders

I'm thinking about swapping to a super reliable wheel. Something with a 3in tire. I'm only 65kg so I'm guessing I will be unlikely to overpower an MSX.

My concern about the MSX is if it's got very unresponsive braking? I've only ever ridden 16in wheels and they kind of stop on a dime (tesla v1). I'd like my next wheel to be more rugged, be more water resistant and be able to stop like crazy fast if needed.

Is the Nikola much more responsive than the MSX?

What's the most rugged and reliable 16x3in wheel out there? 

I'm leaning towards the MSX but how's the water protection? Spontaneous board malfunctions? I bet the MSX can ride more confidently over uneven surfaces than the Nikola. (Sometimes I just get surprised by what appears from under the vehicle I'm following.)

Thanks! 

Edited September 3, 2021 by alcatraz

[mrelwood]

 

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

I'm only 65kg so I'm guessing I will be unlikely to overpower an MSX.

I agree.

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

My concern about the MSX is if it's got very unresponsive braking?

Not any more than having an unresponsive acceleration. They go hand in hand.

 

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

and be able to stop like crazy fast if needed.

You have only two choices: 1) Do a lot of emergency braking practice (pads definitely recommended!), or 2) stay out of all 18+ inch wheels.

 Smaller things that help with braking distance: -Stay away from the hard riding mode! -Stay away from Gotway.

Medium and soft riding modes require noticeably less effort to accelerate and brake than hard. GotWay’s riding modes are all initially hard, so they require more effort to accelerate and brake than that of KingSong and Inmotion.

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

Is the Nikola much more responsive than the MSX?

I wouldn’t say “much”, but it is more responsive.

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

What's the most rugged and reliable 16x3in wheel out there?

It could be the Nikola. But buying a Nikola now that the V12 is out would require either a lack of knowledge or some serious intent…

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

I'm leaning towards the MSX but how's the water protection?

There isn’t any.

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

Spontaneous board malfunctions?

I think the MSX should have a relatively good track record here. But the shell definitely isn’t the most rugged one.

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

I bet the MSX can ride more confidently over uneven surfaces than the Nikola.

I agree, although the difference might not be out-of-this-world huge.

5 hours ago, alcatraz said:

(Sometimes I just get surprised by what appears from under the vehicle I'm following.)

Sounds like you are riding way too close to the vehicle in front of you!

[mike_bike_kite]

You say you want a 16x3 tyre but then say your favourite wheel is the MSX and that's 18x3. You only currently have 3 alternatives if you want a 16x3 tyre and that's the Nikola, the 16X and the V12. The Nikola and 16X are both very rugged. The Nikola is very waterproof while the 16X initially had waterproofing issues but people say this has been fixed now. The V12 looks rugged and waterproof but it hasn't been out long enough to really prove. There have been a few questions about the V12's ability to brake fast so that might be worth considering.

The MSX will keep going forever but the case will crack apart on the first frontal crash (that's why most MSX's are covered in masking tape). The pedals also incline in which might annoy if you want a more relaxed ride. If you have to trolley the wheel near commuters then there's also the issue of the suboptimal trolley handle.  The 18XL is similar to the MSX in wheel size but it's much more rugged and waterproof but, being an 18" wheel, it's not going to accelerate or brake quickly.

Keep in mind all these wheels weigh almost double that of your V8 so, if you ever take it up stairs, that might be an issue. Lighter options than the above might be the KS16S which is rugged, waterproof, and both accelerates and brakes fast but it's an older wheel. The V8S is also about to come out which has a larger battery than your current wheel but also a more powerful motor (1000W compared to 800W) so it should brake better. The V8F has the same motor I think.

Here's a link to show you the differences in the specs in these wheels. It's new functionality so it might not work but you can always search for the wheels you're interested in and then hit compare.

[Tawpie]

9 hours ago, alcatraz said:

What's the most rugged and reliable 16x3in wheel out there?

Elsewhere in the forum there are pictures of a Nik that fell down the side of a mountain... probably only needs a new roll.nz (and a new shell, but it took a huge amount of abuse). They have an excellent reputation for weather proofing as well. If you get the Nik+AR you get massive range, and it should do just fine accelerating.

[alcatraz]

Thanks fellas, for taking the time.

I will definitely keep my eyes open for a Nikola.

I used to be concerned with weight but I noticed that if you learn how to guide a wheel up stairs it's not that bad. I learned it by necessity really because I don't have a pickup switch on the tesla v1.

Traffic is dense where I live. In order to not get sniffed by someone behind me, I need to keep a reasonably small distance in front. The speeds aren't "crazy" at around 30km/h.

The reason I'm asking this question is because I'm noticing that I have quite good habits in traffic. If I do get into a tight situation it's because of uneven ground, rain, or not enough speed. The last one is really tricky.

Maybe you have an idea for me about that last one. I'd love for it to be two speed limits. Like one limit that I can set as a temporary limit for when I need to cross multiple lanes etc, and one that's for cruising. The temporary limit has a lot of noise or something to prevent me from "getting used to it".  I use tilt-back right now and I have it set to a low speed. It feels "safer". I don't have to listen for beeps during commuting. I can just ride the tilt-back and listen to music etc.

Edited September 3, 2021 by alcatraz

[Tawpie]

you should be able to set alarms at different speeds... one for "you're going faster than you like to cruise" so it beeps when you're crossing lanes and want to go really fast for a little while. Second alarm would be "you're going tooooooo dadgum fast", third (with tiltback) at "you're fixing to eat pavement".

But I don't know how the v8f is setup for alarms.

[mrelwood]

If you use alarms in the EUCw or DarknessBot phone app itself, you can set them up with several details. And unless you connect the phone music to the wheel as well, they will only play from your phone.

[alcatraz]

Thanks guys. I might try the double alarm thingy. See how it works.

What I'm not looking forward to is to not have any tiltback at the first speed alarm. I wonder if I'm going to go crazy trying to cruise at a steady speed without the wheel making noise.  I fear that my attention to traffic will diminish, and focus on the speaker a lot.